Create a Watermark for Photos and Claim Your Artistry

Create a Watermark for Photos and Claim Your Artistry

November 2, 2016

Create a Watermark for Photos and Claim Your Artistry

Adding a watermark on your photo is your first line of defense when it comes to unauthorized use of the photo by someone who discovers it on the web. Also, watermarking photos offers a way to market your organization: the more times a viewer comes across your logo over a great photo, the more it will positively reflect and build your brand. Here are three ways to create and place watermarks on your photos. Open the Editor to play along at home.

How to make a watermark

Wanna brand a bunch of your photos? Create a watermark on a transparent background that you can easily apply to all of them. Your watermarking will be more consistent, and you’ll have less digit fatigue!

Step 1. Go transparent

Step 2. Get creative

Add text and overlays—whatever that creative brain of yours likes—to make a watermark that represents you and your brand. Need some inspo and more info? Check out our article about how to design a logo and peruse our design templates to see if anything strikes your fancy.

To add text, click the Text tab (Tt icon) and then the Add Text button on the top of the menu. When you add text to pictures, try different typefaces to see which one works best for the letters in your name. Some typefaces have particular letters (like g’s) that are tricky. You want one that’s legible and reflects the personality of your brand. Our Help center has a short article on using the Text tool.

Check out our menu of original graphics (a.k.a. overlays) in the Overlays tab and see if one of them would be right for your watermark logo. You don’t have to use them as directed—check out our articles on logo design tips and making your own graphics for overlay inspiration. You can also bring in images from elsewhere with the Add your own button at the top of the Overlays tab. If you don’t have an image you adore, check out a couple free image resources to find something you like—just make sure to check the permissions.

Step 3. Crop

Once you’ve got your watermark lookin’ right, click Crop in the Basic Edits tab. Use the corner handles to crop your image tightly around the periphery of the logo.

Step 4. Save

Once you’re done designing and cropping, click Save on the top toolbar, and be sure to save it as a “.png” file; this file format retains its transparency. You can also add your image to Hub, our smart storage platform. Bonus: Images saved to Hub can be re-edited later, so if you decide you wanna change up your watermark, you can alter it super fast.

Placing an existing watermark logo onto your photo

If you already have a logo, here’s how to go about plopping it onto your photos in PicMonkey.

Step 1. Open your photo and logo in the Editor

Open your photo in the Editor. Click the Overlays tab (butterfly icon).

Find the Add your own button at the top of the panel. If your image is stored on your computer, click that button. If it’s stored in Hub, click the arrow next to the button and choose Hub. Click your watermark image to open it.

Step 2: Fade and place

In the Overlay palette, adjust the Fade slider until it’s semi-transparent, then close the palette.

Click and drag the watermark to where you want it on the photo. (Tip: make sure you place your watermark in the same spot on all of your photos for consistency). You can adjust the size once the image is placed by clicking a corner handle and dragging it inward or outward.

Placing a text-only watermark onto a photo

If you need a quick-and-dirty way to get a company name or URL over your photo and you won’t need to do it again soon, this is a good method.

Open your photo in the Editor. Click the Text tab and click inside the box to start typing your text. Choose your color by using the color picker in the Text palette. Or you can type in a color’s hex value (the six digits/letters in the upper-right corner). White is “FFFFFF.”

Adjust the Fade slider to make your logo semi-transparent, then close the palette. Click and drag the text watermark to where you want it on the photo. Adjust the size once the watermark is placed by clicking a corner handle and dragging it inward or outward.

Tip: If you find a color you like using the color picker, write down the hex value so you can match it later, if you want.

Wah-lah! You did it, Fancy Pants! Who ever said you weren’t a slick professional, totally on top of your game?

Check out our watermark video tutorial for some inspiration and excellent examples!

PicMonkey

This article was written by PicMonkey Staff, a multicellular organism of hive-minded sub-parts who just wanna get you the ideas and information you crave, so you can make good pictures and take over the world.